Oil Spills Vs. Costly Clean Up
...he oil up, the money it takes to clean it up, and the direct effect on the ecosystem all put a heavy damper on the lives of these people and the animals. I feel that more emphasis should be put on preventing the spills instead of the issue of money being put forth in cleaning up the mess. In January of 2004, in Point Jefferson along the Puget Sound, more than 4,800 gallons of oil were dumped into the waters. The beaches along Puget Sound were home to shellfish, seals, and many marine birds, especially the herring that spawn there in early January. “Point Jefferson is the most important subsistence harvesting area for shellfish within tribal lands and also is used for ceremonial purposes” says Suquamish Tribal Fisheries Director, Rob Purser (Puget Sound). Within the first couple of days, three oil-covered birds were recovered, and one oiled harbor seal pup had died. The oil drifted 8,000 feet with the tide. They had about 300 people, and 18 vessels helping to clean up the oil. An estimated 3 million dollars was put forth to clean up the spill (Puget Sound). Several other, more severe oil spills include; the 11 million gallon spill in Prince William Sound in 1989, the 24 million gallon spill of the tanker Braer, off the Shetland Islands in 1993, and the 21 million gallon spill of the Sea Empress of Wales in 1996 (Seminar). Out of the millions spilled into the oceans and harbors, how much money are we spending to clean it up? Too much. By putting a heavier weight on actually preventing these monstrous spills, would help bring the rate of these accidents down tremendously. Some oil tankers have been reported as being old, and run down, and not having the regular safety precautions met because of this. If this issue was discovered before the spill, the accident could have been prevented quite easily. I propose that tankers should have certain safety regulations they have to meet before they can even leave a harbor, and have check stations along the way to their destination. Once they get there, I think tug boats would be very helpful in guiding the big ships into the harbors or straits. Local tugboats would know the area better, and know which areas to watch out for that would likely cause a wreck. Steps like these would take a great percentage out of the amount of accidents that occur. The state of Washington’s, Department of Ecology, proposed the solution that would require waste recyclers, and oil tankers to carry liability insurance for spills or other emergencies, and would also be required to show proof of their ability to pay for any cleanup or closing costs (State Eyes). Such steps would reduce the percentage of spills remarkably. Bills have been passed in Olympia, Washington based on oil spills. The Senate Bill 6641, which Ecology Director Linda Hoffman called, “The most important oil spill legislation in a decade”, will attempt to prevent and quickly respond to spills that occur during...